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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 2
HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas
ATenWeekPlantoaNewLifeAbroad
SecondEdition
CopyrightTEFLeBooksdotcomAllrightsreserved.
Permissiongrantedtoreproducepartsofthis
publicationaslongasattributionisnoted.
ThisebookwasdevelopedincooperationwithTEFLEducator
Tohelpusdoabetterjobofhelpingyou,wewouldappreciate
youropinionaboutthisebook. Pleasetakeourfast,easyand
confidentialsurveyhere: CLICKHERE
Dreamsare
the
touchstones
ofourcharacter.
HenryDavidThoreau
http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://teflbootcamp.com/resources-contact/efl-tefl-resources/free-ebooks-from-tefl-boot-camp/survey-1/http://www.teflbootcamp.com/ -
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 3
ContentsIntroduction
TwentyImportant
Questions
to
Ask
Yourself
CharacteristicsofSuccessfulTEFLers
WhatareEmployersREALLYLookingfor?
WeekOne
SeeingWhatReallyisPossible
Passports
Degrees,Transcripts,
Certificates
,Documents
WeekTwo
MakingaDecisionaboutWheretoTeach
Money!Money?WagesandMore
MakingaDecisionaboutWhentoGo
WeekThree
OrganizeyourJobSearch
AShortPersonalStory
Corporate,Kids,Adults?
Whattypeofjobdoyouwant?
Resumes,CVs
HowtobeanAttractiveCandidate
WeekFour
ApplyforJobs
HowtoContactEmployers
HowTEFL
Interviews
Work
TheBestCountriestoStartinTEFL
WeekFive
ShouldyouAcceptthatJob?
DoingyourResearchbeforeyouDecide
ResearchtheJob
Researchyour
Employer
ResearchyourAccommodation
WeekSix
StartOrganizingyourLifeforyourMoveOverseas
DoyouownyourHome?
HealthInsurance
Responsibilitiesto
your
Home
Country
WeekSeven
StartyouVisaPaperwork
Give30daysnoticeatyourjob
BudgetingforyourTransition
SellorStore?
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 4
Week
Eight
PlaneTicketsandMovingExpenses
BankingandInvesting
PlanningforyourFinancialSuccess
ShouldyouInvestinyourhomecountryoryour
newcountry?
Week
Nine
PassportandVisa
PlanA
PlanB
PlanC
WeekTen
Whatshould
you
take
with
you?
Whatshouldyoumailtoyourself?
Saygoodbyetofriendsandfamily
Getonthatplane
WeekOneOverseas
OntheJobinyourNewCountry
Cankaraokegetyouaraise? Yes!
CultureShock
Yes=No
WeekTwoOverseas
Networking
ImproveYourself
HaveaGoodTime
AppendixA
SummaryofallChecklists
AppendixB
TeachingMethodsandBoardwork
AppendixC
PlanningaLessonandBasicTEFLTraining
Contents 2
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 5
Introduction
TwentyQuestions
BEFOREWE
START
and
you
head
down
the
road
to
creating
anew
life
overseas,
here
are
20
important
questionsyoushouldaskyourselfbeforedecidingifteachingEnglishoverseasisrightforyou.
Doyouhaveafamilythatyouareresponsiblefor?
Howdotheyfeelaboutmovingoverseasandlivinginaforeignland?
Doyouhaveaspouse/partner?Howdotheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirjobandaccompanyingyou?
Willtheybeabletofindworkoverseas?AretheyinterestedinteachingEnglishalso?
Doyou
have
children?
How
will
you
educate
them
while
overseas?
Howmighttheyfeelaboutgivinguptheirfriends?
Doyouhavedebtsthatmustbepaidwhileyouareoverseas?Doyouhaveadegree?
Thoughadegreeisnotrequiredinmanycountries,itwillaffectyouroptionsandincome.
Aretherespecialmedicalissuesforyouoryourfamilythatmustbeconsidered?
Doyouhavethefinancialreservestoreturntoyourhomecountryandreestablishyourselfif
thingsdon'tworkout?Areyouwillingtotoughitoutifyoudon'tlikeit?
Haveyouevertaughtbefore? DoyouhaveanyreasontobelievethatyoumightenjoyteachingEnglish?
Haveyouevertraveledorlivedoverseas?Didyouenjoyit?
Wouldyoufindthedailyproblemsoflivingandworkingoverseasfrustratingorarefreshing challenge?
Doyougetdepressedorangryeasily?
Those20questionsareonlyabeginning.Onceyoucananswerthempositivelyandbehonestwithyourself
aboutthem,
then
you
are
ready
to
proceed.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 6
Whatpersonal
qualities
and
attitudes
will
help
you
succeed?
Havereasonableexpectationsaboutyournewoccupationandwhatitcanandcannotprovideforyou.
ThiseBookwillhelpyouwiththat.
Understandthatyournewcountrywillnotbelikeyourhomecountry.
Solutionstoproblemsthatworkathomeoftendon'tworkoverseas.
Sometimesyoureallywon'tknowhowtosolveaproblem.
Knowthat
most
personal
problems
you
had
in
your
home
country
will
probably
also
exist
or
reoccur
overseas.
Knowthatyouwillhavegooddaysandbaddays,justlikebackhome.
Knowthatyouwillprobablyexperiencegoodbosses,badbosses,goodjobsandbadjobs.
Beflexibleandlearntobouncebackfromunhappysurprisesand/orproblematicsituations.
Bewillingtoworkunderdifferentculturalexpectationsaboutyourbehavior,appearanceanddress.
Manageyourmoods,keepyourselfupbeatandavoiddownbeatpeople.
Viewyoursuccessoverseasasapersonalchallengeandbedeterminedaboutmakingitwork.
WhatLanguageSchoolsandEmployersareREALLYLookingfor
Languageschools,probablywhereyouwillfindyourfirstjobasanEnglishinstructor,arebusinesses.
Themorestudentscomingthroughthedoorandtakingclasses,thebettertheirbusinessdoes.
Ifstudentstalktotheirfriendsandtheycomeandsignupforclassesatyourschool,thingsgoevenbetter.
Iftheyconsistentlysignupforthenextclasswhenthecurrentoneisfinished,itisevenbetterstill.
Sinceattendingalanguageschoolisanoptionandthereareoftencompetitorsjustdownthestreet,
schoolsmustattendtoenrollment.Iftheydon't,theygooutofbusinessandnoone,includingyou,hasa
job. Asaresultofthesedemandsonthesuccessofthebusiness,languageschoolslookforteachersthat
cankeepstudentscomingbacktotheirclassroomsagainandagain.
...languageschoolslookforteachersthatcankeepstudentscomingbacktotheirclassroomsagain
andagain.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 7
Think
back
to
your
favorite
teachers
when
you
were
in
school.
Why
were
they
your
favorites?
Where
they
friendly,helpful,intelligent,possiblyevencharmingintheirownway? Knowledgeableabouttheirsubject
Youprobablyanswered"Yes"toallofthosecharacteristicsandthosearetheverythingsthatlanguage
schoolsarelookingfor.Theywouldliketheirnextteachertobefriendly,engaging,helpful,positiveand
encouraging.
Whenaschoolinterviewsyou,theyarelookingforsomeonewhowillgivetheirstudentsapositiveexperi
enceandtheyalsowantsomeonewhowillbepleasanttoworkwith.
Ofcourse,theschoolwouldlikeyoutoknowalittlesomethingaboutEnglishbutasanativespeaker,you
alreadyhaveahugebuiltinstoreofknowledgeaboutthelanguage.
Youhaveanexcellentideaaboutwhatisrightorwrongusage(thoughatfirstyoumayhavedifficulty
explainingwhy).Youknowwhenpronunciationisunderstandableornotorwhenasentencemakessense
ornot. Thesearethethingsnonnativespeakersregularlystrugglewithbutforyouwilllikelybenoprob
lematall.
Thereis
some
excellent
management
research
that
shows
that
about
80%
of
people
fired
from
their
jobs
arenotfiredbecausetheylacktheskillsfortheirjob.Theyarefiredbecauseof personalissues,atten
dance,punctuality,notfollowingthroughandmanyotherissues.
Takethistoheart,thoughyoumaystillhavealottolearnaboutteachingEnglish,thebiggestissueisjust
beingabletogetalongandbeingadecentpersontobearound.NonWesternculturestendtovaluethese
"gettingalong"characteristicshighly.
Theyarejustlookingforsomeonepleasantandpositive.Isthatyou? Ifnot,teachingEnglishabroadmay
notbeyourbestcareerchoice. Itisaverypeopleorientedprofession.
ChapterOneisNext:GettingOrganizedtoHeadOverseas
WhatiscominginChapterOne? ScanningtheJobsMarketFindoutwhatispossible...PassportGet
itnowifyoudon'talreadyhaveitalready. Degrees,Transcripts,CertificatesandotherDocumentsGath
eringtogetherwhatyouneedforthejobsearch.
...thebiggestissueisjust
beingabletogetalong
andbeing
adecent
persontobearound
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 9
PASSPORT
Beforeyoucandomuchofanythingandbeforeyoucanexpectanyemployertotakeyouseriously,you
musthaveacurrentvalidpassport.
Employersarenotinterestedinyourplantogetone.Theywanttoknowthatyouhaveone. Infact,they
will
require
you
to
have
one
to
even
get
the
process
started.
Ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youareaheadofthegameandyoucaneasilyreducethistenweek
planbyafewweeks.
Ifyourpassporthasexpiredorgoingtoexpireinthenextyear,getitrenewedrightnow.
Ifyoudon'thaveapassport,orderitrightnowbecausenotmuchelseonthejobfrontcanhappenuntil
youhaveit.
Thereare
plenty
of
other
things
you
can
do
to
get
ready,
but
you
can't
really
land
ajob
until
that
passport
isinyourhand.
Don'twasteyourtimeapplyingforjobsorcontactingemployersuntilthatpassportisinyourhand.
Employersarequitefamiliarwithdaydreamerswhocontactthemandneverfollowthrough.
Theywontwanttowastetheirtime.
Onewaytoknowifanapplicantisseriousisiftheyhavetheirpassportanditiscurrent.
Almost
every
job
application
will
require
a
photocopy
or
scan
of
your
current
valid
passport.
Americans
Apassportcantakeuptofourweeksfromthedateofapplicationandyoumayneedtoobtainsupporting
documentsfortheapplication.Youcanobtainanexpedited passportforanadditionalfeeanditcanbe
issuedandinyourhandswithintwoweeks.
Thereisnoreasonwhythat
nextjobcan'tbeyours.
Itis
simply
that
easy
Don'twasteyourtime
applyingforjobsor
contactingemployers
until
youhaveapassport
inyourhand.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 10
ForAmericans
...
WheretoApplyforaPassport
(someoftheselinkswilltakeyoutoourwebsite. Thatissowecankeeplinkscurrentwhentheychange.)
Expeditedservice:WheretoGetapassportintwoweeksorless
Clickhereforhowlongtheprocesscurrentlytakes.
UKCitizens:
TheHomeOffice'sIdentificationandPassportServiceishere
Clickhereforstepbystepassistancethroughtheprocessforyourfirstpassport
TheIPSrecommendsyouplanfortheprocesstotakeaboutsixweeks.
Australians:
Starttheprocesshere.
Apriorityserviceisofferedforanextrafeetocompletetheprocessintwoworkingdays.
Aninpersoninterviewisrequired.
NewZealanders:
Starthere.
Theirwebsitesayspassportscanbecompletedintenworkingdaysandoffersanurgent servicethatcan
completetheprocessinthreeworkingdays.
OtherCountries: Checkyourgovernmentswebsites.Asyoucanseehere,ifyoualreadyhaveavalidpassport,youcaneasilytake24weeksoutoftheprocess.
Infact,ifyoureallywant,youcanprobablybeteachingoverseasinonly45weeks. Acceleratetheprocess
asyoupleaseandareable.
Employersknowan
applicantisseriousisifthey
alreadyhavetheirpassport
anditiscurrent.
http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/http://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttps://www.passports.gov.au/web/forms/entrypoint.aspxhttp://www.passports.govt.nz/http://www.passports.govt.nz/https://www.passports.gov.au/web/forms/entrypoint.aspxhttps://www.gov.uk/apply-first-adult-passporthttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/http://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.htmlhttp://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.htmlhttp://iafdb.travel.state.gov/ -
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 11
Degreesand
Transcripts
Findtheoriginalofyourdegreeifyouhaveone.Notallcountriesrequiredegreessoyoucanskipthisstep
ifyoudon'thaveone.Generallyspeakingthough,thehighertheeducationrequirementforteachersina
givencountry,thebetterthewagesonofferinthatcountry. Butthisisnotalwaystrue.
Ordercurrenttranscriptsandbesuretonotopenthem.Leavetheminthesealedenvelope.Havethem
readybutknowthatsomecountrieswillalsowantyoutoorderthemandhavethemsentdirectlytothe
school,Ministry
of
Labor
or
some
other
verification
office.
Differentcountrieswillhavedifferentprocessesforverifyingyourdegree/education. Somedoitinyour
homecountry,othersdoitwhenyouarrivethereandstillothers willdoboth.Whenyouapplyforyourjob
andareaccepted,yourfutureemployerwill typicallywalkyouthroughtheprocess.
Youarenotusuallythefirstpersontheyhavehelpedthroughprocessandtheywillusuallybefamiliarwith
currentrequirements.Therequirementschangeregularlyinsomecountriesandyourfutureemployerwill
usually
be
the
most
up
to
date
contact
you
can
have.
Thedaysoffakedegreesareover.Don'teventhinkaboutitunlessyouwouldliketoexperiencetheinside
ofanimmigrationprisoninaforeignland.Verificationprocessesareimprovingbytheweekinalmost
everycountry.
Onepieceofadvice:Orderanextra"original"degreefromyouruniversity.Universitiesarequitefamiliar
withhowtodoit. Lostormisplaceddegreeshappeneveryday.
Ordertranscriptsandasparedegreenow. Itcantakeonlyafewdaysorevenuptofewweeksdepending
onyouruniversity.
TrainingCertificates
IfyouhaveobtainedaTEFLcertificationortakenanyotherkindoftrainingrelatedtoteachingEnglish,put
itinthesameplaceasyourpassport,degreeandanythingelseyoumayfindrelevant.
Thedaysoffakedegrees
areover.Don'teventhink
aboutitunlessyouwould
like
to
experience
the
inside
ofanimmigrationprisonin
aforeignland.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 12
OtherDocuments
Suchanvariedarrayofthingscanbeaskedofyouthatitishardtocompletelyprepareaheadoftime.
YoumaybeaskedforalocalorFBItypepoliceclearanceorevenawidevarietyofmedicalclearances.
Bepatient,providewhattheyaskanditwillallworkout. Youwon'tbethefirstpersontobe intimidated
bythepaperworkrequired. Everybodywondersiftheycangetthroughallofitbuttheyalwaysdo.
ScanEverything
Prepareyourscansnowsoyoucanattachthescanstoyouremailswhenyouapplyforjobsorsendthem
whenrequested. Bettertogetthemalldonenowratherthantorushastheyare requested.
WeekOneSummary
Therearemanythingstokeepyoubusyifyouareworkingorstillinschool. Onceyouhaveyourpassport
anddocumentssortedandifyoustillhaveextratime,spenditlookingforTEFLjobs,soyoucanopenyour
eyesto
all
the
opportunities
out
there.
Makingyourselfawareofallthepossibilitiesisanimportantpartofthedecisionprocesswewillbegin
inWeekTwo.
WeekOneChecklist
Checkoutthepossibilities
Passport:Order,Update,Check
Degree:Original,Orderaspare
Transcripts:Order
OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates
Scaneverythingyouhave
Makingyourselfawareof
allthepossibilitiesisan
important
part
of
the
decisionprocess
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 13
Week Two
InWeekOne,whenyouwerelookingatthejoblistings,youprobablyfoundafewjobsthatreallycaught
yourinterest. Possiblyitwasthejoborthelocationthatseemedinteresting.
WheretoGo
Weneedtosolvethelocationissuefirstthoughwewillstayabit flexible. Thenumberoneissuethatwill
broadenornarrowthescopeofchoicesisifyouhaveacollege/universitydegreeornot.Toalargeextent,
thesubject/majorofthedegreemaynotmatterasmuchaswhetheryouhaveoneornot.
Thedegreerequirementisalmostneverachoicefortheschoolasitistypicallyanimmigration,Ministryof
Laboror
Ministry
of
Education
requirement.
The
school
will
usually
have
no
choice
in
the
issue
so
don't
wasteyourtimeortheirs tryingtonegotiatetherequirementifyoudon'thaveadegree. Moveon.
Generallyspeaking,muchofLatinAmerica,China,awayfromthemegacities, Indonesia,Cambodia,Laos
andafewotherplaceswillofferteachingpositionstonondegreedindividuals. That'sabigpartofthe
worldsodon'tbediscouragedifyoudon'thaveadegree. Ifyouhaveadegree,theworldisyouroyster.
China,ThailandandKoreaareprobablythemostnewcomerfriendlyTEFLcountriesintheworldforpeople
withdegrees.Ifyoudon'thaveadegree,LatinAmericaandthecountriesmentionedaboveareyourbest
bets.
China,ThailandandKoreaareveryacceptingof"newbie"teachersanddon'ttendtohavesuperdemand
ingexpectationsof yourteachingskills. Theywillallowthemtodevelopovertime.
Japanismoredemanding.FortheMiddleEastteachersneedtobeskilledandpreparedanda
disciplinarian,butmuchofAsiaandLatinAmericaarequitelowkeyandwillallowyouasometimetoget
yourbearingsasanEFLteacher.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 14
Money
Ifmoneyisanimportantfactorandyouhavedebtsorwishtosaveasmuchmoneyasyoucan,thentakea
closelookatKorea,TaiwanandtheMiddleEast.Nondegreedindividualswillrarelybeabletoworkin
countrieswheresignificantsavingscanbeaccrued,thoughsomesavingsarepossibleinChina.
InKorea,TaiwanandJapan,US$8001000anduparequitepossibleintermsofsavings. IntheMiddleEast
evenmore
can
be
saved
but
advanced
degrees,
years
of
prerequisite
experience
and
challenging
students
arestandardfare.
WhentoGo
Toalargeextent,thisisuptoyou.Itisworthdoingalittleresearchaboutthecountryyouareinterested
in,aseachcountrywilltendtohavetimeswhenhiringisatitspeakandtimeswhenhiringisinalull.It
oftendependsontheschoolyearwhichcanvaryformcountrytocountry.
Theschool
year
in
Korea
and
Japan,
for
example,
begins
in
March.
In
Thailand
it
begins
in
May.
Hiring
comestoastandstillinTaiwanandChinaduringChineseNewYearbutmayhitapeaksoonafterthat.
Gototheforumsat: Dave'sESLCafeForums:Clickhere. ItisthebusiestforumontheInternetforteach
ers. Asyouwouldwithanyforum,beawareofhype,sourgrapesandotherissues. Generally,ifagood
numberofpeopleagreeonabitofinformation,thenitisprobablyatleastsemiaccurate.
Don'ttrusteverythingyouhearbutdogetasmuchinformationasyoucanfromasmanysourcesas
you
can.
Ontheforums,askabouttheschoolyearsoyoucanapplyatthemostadvantageoustimeandgetthebest
possiblejobforyou.
Allthatsaid,languageschoolstendtohireallyearlongsoanytimeyouarereadytogo,therewillbejobs
readyforyou.
...ifagoodnumberof
peopleagreeonabitof
information,thenitis
probablyatleast
semiaccurate.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/ -
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 15
WeekTwo
Summary
Cruisethewebandmakeadecisionaboutwhereyouwouldliketoteach.
Decidewhenyouwouldliketostart.
WeekTwoChecklist
Decideon
aspecific
country
to
focus
your
search
Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision
Decidewhentogo
Asyouwouldwithany
forum,beawareofhype,
sourgrapesandother
issues.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 16
OrganizeYourJobSearch
Thisis
the
fun
part.
Schools
and
companies
overseas
actually
need
and
want
you!
Its
anice
boost
to
the
selfesteemandonlythefirstofmanydramaticchangesthatthislifeandlifestylewillbringtoyou.
AShortPersonalStory
MywifeandIsometimeslookateachotherandsay,"Wouldyoueverhaveimaginedbeforewemoved
overseasthatwecouldhavedoneallthethingswehavedone? Thatwewouldhaveworkedandlivedinso
manycountries? Thatwewouldhavebeenabletotraveltosomany differentcountries? Thatwecould
havelearned
and
experienced
so
much?"
Ouranswerisalways,"No,couldneverhaveimaginedit!" Itstillsurprisesus!
Thislifecanberealforyoutoo.
TeachingEnglishoverseascanexceedyourimagination. Whenyouareonthediscussionboardsonthe
Internet,lookforsomeofthelongtermandreputableposters. Askthem!
Pleasenotethoughthattherearemanywhowillmasqueradeasexpertsonthediscussionboards.
Bequite
careful
from
whom
you
take
advice
and
on
what
advice
you
make
your
life
decisions.
IhaveheardsomanyridiculousclaimsaboutwagesandjobsthatImnotevensurprisedanymore.Dont
fallvictimtothesestories. Thingsarentnearlyasfantasticastheysaynoraretheyasbadastheysay.
Sometravelersfinditdifficulttojustsay,Yeah,ItraveledtotheFarEastandtaughtEnglishforacouple
yearsanditjustwentgreat!Theyseemtoneedtoaddafewembellishmentsaboutpirates,robbersand
crooksalongtheway.Itmakesforamuchmoreexcitingstory!
Infact,manythousandsofustreadthispathwithveryfewproblems. Comeonboard!
Week Three
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 17
Corporate,
Kids,
Adults?
Dependingonyourpreviouslifeexperience,youneedtotargetthekindofjobyouwantbecausethere
reallyaretoomanyoptions.Corporateclasses,kids,adultswhattypeofclasseswouldyouliketoteach?
Somanyoptionsareavailabletoyouthatyoucantevenimaginethemall.
Thereareawiderangeofopportunitiesfrominternationalhospitalstoairportstolarge corporationsand
thisisthetimetonarrowyourjobsearch. Payspecialattentiontoyourownpreviousexperienceandskills.
Many
people
have
special
knowledge
related
to
certain
careers
that
many
others
dont
have.
Take
advan
tageofitandseekemploymentteachingEnglishinthatarea.
IfyouworkinITrightnow,forexample,considerteachingEnglishatacollegewheretheyteachITora
technicalsecondaryschool.Youwillalreadyknowthespecializedlanguageandhaveaninterestinthe
area. Ifyoualreadyknowthebusinessandvocabularythatgoeswithit,youareidealforthem.
NotenoughpeoplemarrytheirpreviousexperiencewiththeirnewjobsinTEFL. Mostpeoplewillhave
specialtalents,knowledgeandskillstheyshouldexploitifnotimmediatelywhenfirst,thenlaterwhenyou
havealittle
experience
under
your
belt.
CVsandResumes
Getusedtotheideathattheworksceneoverseasisverydifferentfromyourhomecountry.
Employerswillwanttoseeyourphotograph. Theywillaskyouaboutyourfamily,yourageandifyouare
married. Getusedtotheideaofdifferentnotbeingabadthing. Itisnotunusualforpeopletoaskmany
questionsthatwouldbeillegalinmanycountries.Intheircountrytheyarelegaland,intheireyes,theyare
legitimatequestions.
WorkvisasforEnglishteacherssometimesrequirethatyourpassportbefromacountrytheydeemas
beingEnglishspeaking. Ageissometimeslimitedforcertainkindsofvisas. Menmaynotbeallowedto
teachatawomen'sschool(SaudiArabiaforexample).
Decidenowiftheseissuesreallybotheryou. Iftheydo,youmayhavesomedifficultylandingajoboreven
survivinginsomecultures.
Manypeoplehavespecial
knowledgerelatedto
certaincareersthatmany
othersdonthave.
Takeadvantageofitand
seekemploymentteaching
Englishinthatarea.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 18
Whatto
put
on
your
Resume/CV
Traditionalresumesarefinebutbesuretoputtheessentialinformationnearthetopwhereyourpotential
employercanseeitquickly. Traditionally,aCVisamuchmoreacademicallyorientedformandmore
detailedbutyou'llfindthetermsresumeandCVusedsomewhatinterchangeablyoverseas. Keepthem
bothtotwopagesorlessifyoucan.
Ifyouareanolderperson,putacutoffpointtolimithowlongyourresumewillbe. Dotheyreallyneedto
knowthatyouworkedforMcDonalds35yearsago? Conversely,ifyouareveryinterestedinteachingina
particularspecialtysuchasBusinessEnglish,ScienceEnglish,HospitalityEnglishorHospital/Medical
English,thenbesureto includeyourexperienceinthatareatostrengthenyourposition.
Photo
Mostcountrieswillwantaphotoattachedtoyourresume,passportsize,topleftcorner.Itisusuallyokayif
youprintitontheresumeiftheprintingisofhighquality. Makesureyoudressandappearprofessional in
thephoto.Youaresellingyourself. Thisshouldnotbeaninformalphoto.
Age,MaritalStatus,Sex,Nationality,Dependents
Ifyoudon'tincludethisinformationandtheemployerhasmanyapplicants,guesswhereyourresumewill
go.Getusedtotheideathatnoteveryonethinksthesamewayorhasthesamerulesorstandards. People
andculturesandcountriesaredifferent. Thatiswhatmakesitallsointeresting.
ContactInformation
Makeiteasytobecontactedandmakesureyouhavepropercontacts.
MarketYourself
Twothingsareveryimportant. One,makethemwanttohireyou. Makeyourselfanattractivecandidate
ineveryway. Two,letthemknowyoudon'thavetheproblemsthelastpersontheyfiredhad!
Twothingsarevery
important. Makethem
want
to
hire
you
and
make
yourselfanattractive
candidateineveryway.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 19
Be
an
attractive
candidate,
literally
and
figuratively.
Make
sure
your
photo
on
your
resume
is
profession
allydoneandthatyouaredressedprofessionally. Menshouldbeinadressshirtandtie.Smileinyour
picture.
HighlightyourTEFLtrainingifyouhaveit,anyteaching/trainingexperienceyoumayhave(TEFLornot,paid
and/orvolunteer),multiculturalknowledge,travelexperience,multilingualskills andanythingelsethat
makesyouappearready,skilled,andprofessional.
Yourtravelandknowledge/experience withotherculturesandcountrieswillreassurepotentialemployers
thatyou
won't
run
away
after
only
aweek
or
two
on
the
job.
Besuretohighlightyourspecialskillsandabilities,andanyworkexperiencethatmightbe relevanttothe
joborsimilartotheexperienceoftheircustomers/students.
Writespecificallythatyouarereliableandcanholddownajobforlongperiods(ifyoucanandhave).
Highlightfamilyresponsibilities,noteifyouaremarriedandaddanythingthatstressesdependability.
Expectationsofemployersareoftenreflectedincontractstheywillshoworofferyou.Trytocounteranyof
thenegative
issues.
Some
inexperienced
newbies
react
with
outrage
and
anger
at
such
clauses
in
their
contract. Understandtheemployersandshowalittlefinesseindealingwiththem.
WeekThreeSummary
DecidethefocusofyourjobsearchCorporate,Adults,Kidsorwhateveryoucanland.
WeekThreeChecklist
Prepareresume/CV
Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications
Providepropercontactinformation
Prepareacoverletter
Doublecheckyourscanneddocuments
Getaprofessionalphotofor
resumesandapplications
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 20
Week Four
Bynow,yourpassportmayhavearrivedorshouldbearrivingsoon. Scanthefacepageofyourpassportto
sendwithyourlettersofinterestandemailsofenquiry. Thoughthisisweekfourinatenweekprocess,
youcould
actually
find
yourself
overseas
within
three
or
four
weeks
from
now.
StartingtheJobSearch
Onewordofcaution.Manypeopleondiscussionboardswillsuggestthatonlytheworstjobsareadvertised
andyoushouldjustheadonoverandgetajobinperson. Tosomedegree,theyarerightbutitalso
dependsonthecountry. VerypopularcountrieslikeThailand,forexample,tendtohirelocally. Countries
likeKorea,tendtohirefromoverseas.Japandoesabitofboth. LatinAmerica,largelyhireslocally,China
tendsto
hire
from
overseas.
Probablytheeasieritistogetaroundacountrywithoutknowingthelanguage,themorelikelytheywill
hirelocally. Butmanycountriesareabewilderingmazeifyouarenotfamiliarwiththemandevenjust
findingalanguageschoolmightbeclosetoanimpossibletask.
Beinghiredlocallyoftenmeansaschoolwontpayyourtravelexpensesandalsooftenmeansyouwill
needtoleavethecountryandgotoaneighboringcountrytoapplyforavisathatwillallowyoutowork.
Manycountrieswillnotallowpeoplewhoarrivedonatouristvisatoconvertthatvisatoan employment
visa. Therefore,anextraexpensewillbeinvolved.
Ifthisisgoingtobeyourfirstjoboverseasandpossiblyyourfirsttimeoverseasatall,trytolandajobfrom
yourhomecountry. Itjustmakesiteasier. Forsomecountries,likeChinaforexample,itiscommonfor
airfaretobepaid. Yournewemployerwilloftenmeetyouattheairport,helpyougetsettledandwill
oftenarrangeyourhousinginadvance.Youwillhavelittletoworryaboutotherthanjustshowingupfor
workondayone. Comparethattoarrivingnotknowingwheretogoandwheretostayandifyoullbe
successfulatarranginganythingatall.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 21
ShouldYouUseaRecruiter?
Manypeoplemistrustrecruitersbutsomecanbequitedecent. TheauthorsveryfirstTEFLjobwasfound
witharecruiter.
MyExperiencewithaRecruiter
Wasthefirstplacementproblemfree?No!MyfirstschoolgotoutoftheTEFLbusinessandleftmeessen
tiallyunemployedinastrangeland. But,therecruiterhandleditallandactuallygotmeupgradedtoacol
legejob.
All
of
asudden
Iwent
from
one
week
of
vacation
per
year
to
four
months
paid
vacation.
Not
bad
atall!
Iwaspatientanddealtwithmyrecruiterinareasonableway. Iaskedfortheirassistance.
Ididn'tdemandit,swearatthem,callthemcrooksordemandaninvestigation.Manyothers insimilar
situationsdoreactinsuchways. BecauseIwasreasonableandbehavedinaculturallyappropriateway,
therecruitertriedhardtosolvemyproblemsand,intheend,didagreatjob.
RecruiterorNot?
Checkthemout.Askontheforums.Checkouttheemployerjustasyouwouldifyoufoundthejob
yourself. Becausearecruiterfindsyouajob,doesnotmeanyouhavetotakeit! Checkouteveryangle.
SomeCulturalIssues
Beingtooassertivecanbeyourgreatestdownfall. Otherculturesdealwithproblemsin differentways.
Trytolearnthemostappropriatewaytogetthingsdone. Knowwhatyouwantandneed,butusetheir
culturalbehavior
to
get
it
done.
Overassertive
behavior
will
often
not
work.
Followingculturalrules,youcangetwhatyouwant,evenwhenothersdon'tgetwhattheywant.
Itdoesntmatterwhoisrightorwhoiswrong. Justgetdonewhatyouneedtohavedone.Followthecul
turalrules. Theywork. Leaveyouregooutofitandlearntooperateasaskilledexpatriate.
Lifeoverseasismorelikeafunculturalgame. Learnhowtoplayitsoyouwin. Itisfunandchallengingto
figureout. Youwillfeelgreatwhenyougetitsolved. Havesomeculturalawarenessaboutallyour
interactionsstartingwiththeinterviewsandallthewaythroughyouremployment.
Followtheculturalrules.
Theywork. Leaveyourego
outofitandlearnto
operateas
askilled
expatriate.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 22
Howto
Contact
Employers
Thesameapproachdoesn'tworkeverywhere.Whatreallyworksbest? Personalcontactandnetworking
worksbestbut,ifyouarenotincountry,you'llhavetotrysomeotherapproaches.
AdvertisedJobs
Whenjobsareadvertisedonpopularboards,theadvertisermaygetasmanyas100responsesormore
Youneed
to
think
about
how
to
get
your
application
to
the
top.
Follow
up.
It
can
help
you
land
the
job
you
want.
Tip:Itisworthyourefforttogetalistofschools(onlineisofteneasy)andsendyourletterofinterest(or
email)tothembeforetheyadvertise. Trytonotcompetewiththehoardsonthe Internet. Lookfor
schoolsthatadvertisedafewmonthsback. Someschoolsknowtheywillneedateacherinafewmonths
butmightfeelitistooearlytoadvertise. Theywouldloveyoutocontactthemtoknowtheyhavethe
situationtakencareof.
EMail&Telephone
Manyofususeemailforeverything. But,forsomereason,noteveryonerespondswelltoit. Some
employerswilluseitefficiently;otherswon't. Useitifthatiswhattheyaskforbutdon'texpectittodo
thejob. Afollowupphonecallmighthelpyougettothetopofthelistevenifyoumustmakeitat2AM
yourtime. Thatlittlebitofeffortmightmakeahugedifferenceifyoulandthejobyouwant.
Somecountrieswantapersonalcontacttomeetyoufacetoface. Thisishardtodoifyouareinyourhome
country.Phone
calls
are
cheap
nowadays,
try
them
too.
Be
aware
of
time
zones
of
course.
RegularMail
Someemployerswillwanthardcopiesofyourresumeandaletterofinterest. Stillitisbesttofollowup
witheitheranemailoraphonecall.
Thefuturebelongstothose
whobelieveinthebeautyof
theirdreams.
EleanorRoosevelt
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 23
ViaRecruiters
Recruiterscanfacilitateyourrapidplacementbutbesuretoconductyourduediligenceordoyourresearch
thatwewilldiscussinWeekFive. Dontsendyouroriginaldegreeororiginalofanydocumentstoa
recruiter. Iftheyhaveyouroriginals,youwillnotbeabletoindependentlylookforotherwork.
HowMany?
Planona10to20contactstofindthejobyouwant. Someplaces(Koreaforexample)will requirefewer;
othersmayrequiremore. Berealisticandmentallyprepared. Thereisenoughdemandthatyoucanlook
overafewoffersbeforeyoudecide. Don'tholdouttoomuchbutdon'tfeeleitherthatyoumusttakethe
firstjoboffereither.
BePatient
Hold
out
for
the
right
job.
Know
that
as
a
newbie,
you
may
not
find
the
perfect
situation
but
don't
give
up
whatyouwanttooquickly.
TEFLInterviews
TEFLinterviewsarelikeinterviewsforjustaboutanyothertypeofjob,butwithafewexceptions.
Particularlyifyouareabeginningteacher,don'texpecttrickgrammarquestionsorreally difficult
questionsofanysort.
Usually,the
employer
is
just
trying
to
get
afeel
if
you
are
afriendly
and
pleasant
person.
Both
of
these
issuesareimportanttotheemployerwhoistypicallyabusinesspersonrunningaschoolwhereitwouldbe
niceifthecustomers(students)liketheirteachersenoughtokeepsigningupformoreclassesandearning
him/heraprofit. Theyalsowillwanttoknowifyoustutterorhaveaspeechdefectorstrongaccent.
Speakclearlyandcarefullyduringyourinterview.
Usually,theemployerisjust
tryingtogetafeelifyou
areafriendlyandpleasant
person.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 24
ProfessionalInterviews
Itwouldbeunusualtohavewhatyoumightconsiderareallyprofessionalinterview.
Thenotions,mentionedabove,offriendlinessandpleasantness,aregenerallywhatinterviewers arelook
ingfor. Ifyouareapplyingforajobthatrequiressomeexperienceortraining,thenyoumightexpecta
questionaboutyourteachingphilosophy,teachingmethodsorhowtodealwithadisciplineproblem. Of
course,thinkaboutthesethingsbeforetheinterview.
TheUsualInterview
Atypicalinterviewdoesn'texist. Soreally,youprobablycan'tdomuchtoprepare,excepttoputyourself
inagoodmood,smilealot,dressappropriatelyandgoforit.
SpeakClearly
Onethingalmostallinterviewersarelookingforisyourabilitytospeakclearlyand understandably. Do
thatpurposefullyduringtheinterview. Don'ttrytoimpressthemwithyouruseofthelanguage. Youare
probablyalreadylightyearsaheadoftheEnglishlanguageskillsofanynonnativespeakerthatisinter
viewing you.That'swhytheywantandneedateacher. Theywanttoknowthatyoucancommunicate
wellwiththeir
students.
TelephoneInterviews
Thesetypeofinterviewsarefairlycommonifyouaretryingtolandajobfromabroad. Trytospeakclearly
assomeconnectionswon'tbegood. Bepoliteandaskforaquestiontobe repeatedifyoucan'tunder
standwhatisbeingasked.Telemarketersaretoldtosmilewhentheyareonthetelephonebecauseithelps
toconveyasenseoffriendliness.
Goconfidentlyinthe
directionofyourdreams.
Livethelifeyouhave
imagined.HenryDavidThoreau
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 25
The
Role
of
the
Teacher
in
Society
Knowthatinmanyculturestheteacherisconsideredasurrogateparentandthateven experienced
teachersinsomecountrieswilltellyouthemostimportantthingaboutanyteacheristhattheylovetheir
students. Itisabitrefreshing. Thereisaniceoldfashionednessaboutsuchthinking.
It'sokaytotellaninterviewerthatyouenjoyteaching,enjoystudentsandhaveastronginterestintheir
success.
Justberelaxedandsincere. Thatsincerityisoneofthethingstheyarelookingfor.
Where'sthebestplacetostartteachingoverseas?
Ifyouhaveadegree,thebestplacesareprobablyKoreaorChina.Therearemanyothergreatoptionsout
theretoo. Koreaoffersthebestcombinationofminimal expectationsforanewbieteachercombined
withfreehousing,airplaneticketsandagoodsalarythat allowsyoutosaveUS$1000ormorepermonth.
China,withthesamequalifications,cansometimesofferyouauniversitypositionwithfewerhoursand
more
paid
time
off
though
with
a
smaller
wage.
Ifyoudonthaveadegree,Chinaawayfromthemegacities,SouthAmericaandCentralAmericayourbest
options.
FactorstoConsider
Yourbestplacemaynotbe,andprobablyisn't,anyoneelsesbestplace. Takealookatfinancialissueslike
howmuchitwilltakeyoutogetsetup.Knowthatmostcountriespayonlymonthlyandyoumaynotget
paiduntil
as
late
as
the
middle
of
the
month
after
your
first
month
of
work.
Six
weeks
of
work
may
pass
beforethefirstmoneystartstocomein.
AirTickets
Doyouneedtopayfortheseorwilltheybereimbursed? Somejobsrequirethatyouworkaspecific
amountoftimebeforeyouarereimbursed.
Justbe
relaxed
and
sincere.
Thatsincerityisoneofthe
thingstheyarelookingfor.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 26
Housing
Doyouneedtorentyourownhousing?Whataboutdeposits?Howmuchoutofpocketwillyoupaybefore
yourfirstpayday?
YourFirstJob
UntilyouhavelivedandworkedoverseasasanEnglishteacherforatleastsixmonths,trytominimizeyour
spending. Ifyoudecidetheoccupationisnotforyou,youmightpreferthatyoudidn'tspendtoomuchto
findout.
KeepaReserve
Whenyouheadout,makesureyouhaveareservetogetyoubackhomeandbackonyourfeet,justin
case.
WeekFour
Summary
Startyourjobsearch. Readabitaboutculturalissuesandmanagethemcarefully.
Usearecruiterifyouthinkitwillbetoyouradvantagebutdochecktheirreputation.
Useappropriatecontactmethodsforthespecificjob.
WeekFourChecklist
Beginapplyingforjobs
Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview
Contactarecruiter
Dontacceptajobimmediately
Everygreat
dream
begins
withadreamer.Always
remember,youhavewithin
youthestrength,the
patience,andthepassionto
reachfor
the
stars
to
changetheworld.
HarrietTubman
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 27
Week Five
Getting
that
first
serious
job
offer
is
a
very
exciting
thing.
After
you
dance
around
a
few
moments,
stop
and
catchyourbreathandstarttothinkaboutthingsyoumustknowbeforemakingafinaldecision.
Thissectionisdesignedtohelpyouknowifyoushouldtakethatjobornot.
AskQuestionsAbouttheJob
Don'tbeshy.Thereareimportantthingsyouneedtoknowbeforemovingyourselfhalfwayacrossthe
world,butdon'taskallthesequestionsatonetime.You'lloverwhelmyourpotentialemployer.Spread
themout
abit.
Many
of
these
can
be
asked
during
the
interview
or
while
reviewing
the
contact
youll
have
whenthejobisoffered.
Someimportantquestionstoaskorthingstoknow:
Whatisexpectedofmeonadailybasis?
HowmanyclassesadaywillIbeexpectedtoteach?
Howlong
is
each
class?
Is
each
class
considered
"one
hour"
even
if
it
is
only
45
or
50
minutes
long?
WillIbeexpectedtostayattheschoolevenwhenIdon'thaveclasses?
WillIhaveresponsibilitiesotherthanteaching?(likecleaningtheclassroomortheschool,recruitingstu
dents,evaluatingstudentsforplacement,handingoutflyersfortheschool,parentmeetings,etc.)
WillIbepaidforthattime?
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 28
Doesthejobprovidehousing? Isitfurnished? Whatdoes"furnished"mean? Howarethebillspaid? How
farisitfromtheschool? Isiteasytogettoworkfromthere? DoIhavetopayadepositforit? Howbigis
it? WillIhavetoshareit? Whataretheaveragemonthlycosts?
Whoismyboss? TowhomdoIreport? Whoevaluatesme? WhatcriteriaisusedtodecideifIam
successful?
HowmuchsickandvacationtimedoIget? WhodecideswhenIcanuseit? CanIuseitallatonetime?
DoesitaccruemonthlyorcanIonlyuseitattheendofmycontract? Isthereabonusorgratuitypayment
atthe
end
of
my
contract?
How
much
is
it?
How
is
it
determined?
Whatteachingresourcesdoestheschoolprovide? Teacher'smanuals? Photocopymachine? Projector?
Internet?Computer? Printer? Paper? Chalk/Markers?
Isthereairconditioningand/orheatingintheclassrooms?
Howmanystudentsareinaclass? Howaretheyplacedorevaluatedforplacement? Howdowedecideif
thestudentsareprogressingorsuccessful?
WillIhave
awork
space
available
at
the
school?
A
desk,
an
office?
Arethereotherforeignteachersattheschool?
AskQuestionsAboutYourEmployer
Onceyouhaveajobofferandareseriouslyconsideringit,youneedtodoalittleresearchaboutyour
employer. It'simportanttocheckthereputationofyouremployer.
Askmorethanoneteacheratthatschoolifitispossible. Rememberthateveryonehasadifferent
experienceand
while
one
person
loves
the
job
and
employer,
others
may
not.
Things
that
greatly
distress
oneteacherwontevenbotheranother. Askmorethanoneperson. Askspecificallywhattheylikeordon't
likeabouttheemployer.
Someemployersarewellknownfornotpayingontimeorpayinglessthanwasoriginallyagreed. Some
haveworkedforaschoolwiththeseproblemsbutstayedknowingthattheemployeralwaysmadegoodon
amountsowingattheendofthecontract.Itisuptoyoutodecideifyouwilllettheseissuesbotheryou.
Insomepartsoftheworld,
contractsarelookedatas
"flexible"instruments.
Askcurrentemployees
ifthecontractisfollowed.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 29
AskQuestionsAboutYourAccommodation
HousingcanbearealconcernintheTEFLworld. Notsomuchofaproblemifyourschooldoesnotprovide
itasyoucanfindandgetthequalityofhousingyouwantandarewillingtopayfor. whentheschool
providesit,sometimesyouwillbestuckwithalessthansatisfactorysituation. Employerprovidedhousing
isquitecommonintheFarEast,China,MiddleEastandinotherareaswherehousingtendstobeexpensive
orrequireshugesecuritydeposits.
CuttingCosts
Schoolsthatprovidehousingwanttospendtheminimumamountneededforyourhousing. Asktheother
teachersthereifitisdecentornot.
SharedHousing
Askifhousingisshared. Itmaybegoodtosharehousingwithsomeonewhocanshowyouaroundand
maygivesomehelpwithyournewjobandemployer.Youmayendupwithsomeonethatyoudonthave
anythingincommonwith.Ifthejobisattractivetoyou,itmaybeworthtryingit.
"WesternStyleHousing"
SomeemployerswilladvertisethattheyprovideWesternStyleHousing. Askindetailwhatisprovidedin
thehousing.Askaboutthesafetyoftheareawhereyourhousingis.
RequestDecentHousing
Whenhavingaproblemwithhousing,youcanalwaysaskyouremployer,"Wouldyouacceptlivinghere
likethis?" Don'tdemandamansion.Havereasonableexpectationsbutdorequiresomethingdecent.
Housingissuesshouldnotalwaysbethekissofdeathforapotentialjob. Somesmallissuesarenotso
importantinthebigpictureifyoureallylikeajob,itslocationandwhatyouwillbedoing.
...probably97%ofschools
payon
time,
treat
their
employeesfairlyand
followthecontractsthat
theyhavesigned.
You
just
don't
hear
about
them. Theiremployeesare
outenjoyingtheirlivesand
notbusycomplainingon
theInternet.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 30
WeekFive
Summary
Whileyouareintheprocessofgettinginterviewed,thisisthetimeforyoutostartaskingquestions.
Getthedetailsaboutthejob,youremployerandaccommodation(ifprovidedbyyouremployer)
WeekFiveChecklist
Startinterviews
Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob
Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer
Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing
Goconfidentlyinthe
directionofyourdreams.
Livethelifeyouhave
imagined.Henry
David
Thoreau
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 31
Week Six
GettingOrganized
Weeksixisaboutorganizingyourlifeforsomemajorchanges.Onceyoustartaseriousjobsearch,itmay
actuallytakeyoulessthantwoweekstolandajobthatyouwouldlike.
IfyouareheadingtoKoreaorChinaandhavedoneyourresearch,itwillnotbe uncommontofindagood
jobwithinonlyafewdays.
Ifyouusearecruiter,theycanalsospeedtheprocessalong. Evenifyouusearecruiteryoushouldstilldo
theresearchonyourjob,employerandhousingthatwassuggestedinWeekFive. Ifyourrecruiterdoesnot
wantyoutoaskquestionsaboutthejobthatshouldbearedflagtofindadifferentrecruiter.
Bytheendofthis,youshouldhaveacceptedaposition,seenandsignedacontractforthejobandreceived
eitherafaxorascanofyourcontractsignedbyyournewemployer.
Contractsareaguidelineandemployersdontalwaysfollowthemtotheletter. Expectyourcontracttobe
inthelanguageofthecountrywhereyouaregoingwithpossiblyatranslationofitintoEnglishanditmight
beapoortranslation. Thequalityofthetranslationisnotanindicatorofthequalityoftheschool,though
itmightbeanindicatorofjusthowmuchtheyneedyou.
Generallyspeaking,
only
the
native
language
of
the
country
where
you
are
going
is
legally
valid
for
contractsinthatcountry. Dontgetoverlystressedaboutcontracts. Thereareoftenafewthingsyouwill
justhavetotakeongoodfaithoryouwillneveradaptoverseas. Dontforgetthatyournewemployeris
takingongoodfaiththatyouwillbeadecentandreliableemployeeandthatyouhaverepresentedyour
selffairlyandhonestly.
Thisweek,wewillfocusonorganizingforthemoveoverseasevenifyoudontreallyknowwhereyouare
goingyet.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 32
Whatto
do
with
your
home
if
you
own
it
Ifyoualreadyownyourhome,goodforyou. Shouldyousellitorrentitout? Theanswerdependsaloton
youremotionalattachmenttoyourhome. Doyouviewitasjustaninvestmentorassomeplacesacredfor
youtokeepallyourlife?
AnInvestment
Financialsecurityisanimportantissueforthoseofuswholiveoverseas. Itisimportanttoviewyourhome
asan
investment.
Keep
it
for
long
term
gain
if
you
live
in
an
area
where
you
can
expect
prices
to
appreciateinthelongterm.Ifyouplanonreturninghomeinonlyafewyears,keepitbutrentitforthe
income.
Rentit
Ifyouviewyourhomeasaninvestment,youshouldconsiderrentingitsoitproducessome incomeor
returnoninvestmentforyou. Thisismoneyyoucansaveforlaterinlifeorforyourreturntoyourhome
country. Useyourpropertytohelpsecureyourfuture.
ProfessionalManagement
Getprofessionalmanagement.Theyknowhowtomanagepropertytherightway. It'swhattheydo. Don't
leavesuchavaluableassetinthehandofamateurslikefriendsorfamily. Rentalpropertyproblemscan
strainrelationshipstothebreakingpointandyoucanfindyourself headinghomeaheadofscheduleto
solve problems. Donttrytomanagethepropertyfromoverseas. Itisdifficultenoughtodowhenyouare
onthescene.
HealthInsurance
Employersinmostcountrieswillprovideyouwithaverybasicformofhealth/medicalinsurance.
Insomecountries,youwillbecomeeligibleforthenationalhealthcaresystem.Inothers,youwillbelongto
aprivateplanthatyouremployerhaspurchasedforyou(oryoumaypayfora certainpercentageofthe
coverage). Insomecountriesyouwillnotbeprovidedwithanyinsuranceatall.
Employersinmostcountries
willprovideyouwitha
verybasicformofhealth
insurance.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 33
Thereal
question
is
this:
Is
the
provided
coverage
or
private
insurance
you
can
buy
adequate/enough?
Ifyouareyoungandhealthy,don'trideamotorcycleanddon'ttraveltoothercountries,thenitprobably
is. Thesetypesofcoveragearefinefortheoccasionalvirusorsemiseriousillnessbuttheyarenot
adequateforlongtermoroutofcountrycoverageorforanykindofseriousorcatastrophicillnessor
injury.
Ifyouarethinkingaboutteachinglongterm,aremiddleagedorolderorrideamotorcycleandtravelout
of
country,
then
consider
purchasing
a
good
quality
policy
that
you
can
take
with
you
from
country
to
coun
try.
Aren'tthesetypepoliciesexpensive? Whatisreallyexpensiveistohaveaseriousmedicalproblemwithno
orpoorcoverage. Youwillfindthatsomepoliciesofferedbymajorinsuranceprovidersarequite
expensive. Buttherearesomereasonable alternatives.Twotraditionalcompaniesthatoffer"instant
quotes"onlineareMultiNationalUnderwritersandGoodHealth. Ifyouseekgoodinsurance,itwillbe
worthyourtimetoconductaseriousGooglesearchtofindsomethingthatwillfityourneeds.
Twotraditional
companies
that
offer
"instant
quotes"
on
line
are
MultiNational
Underwriters
and
Aetna
International(AI). AIishere: http://www.aetnainternational.com/
TryhereforHCCMedicalInsurance:http://www.hccmis.com/citizensecureeconomyinsurance/
UKCitizenshavegreatoption,theInternationalTeachersPortfolio.Contacttheirconsultant
FionaLaveryatfiona.lavery@ukglobalgroup.co.uk.
Useyourownjudgmentaboutinsurance.Consultyourphysicianandfinancialadvisorforfurtherguidance
asneeded.
BeforeMovingOverseas
Takecareofallyourobligations,debts,bills,taxes,etc.beforeyougo. Considerapermanentforwarding
addresssothatimportantmailcanfindyou. Mostofususeourparentsorrelativesforthisatfirst.
Takecare
of
all
your
obligations,debts,bills,
taxes,etc.beforeyougo.
http://www.aetnainternational.com/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/mailto:fiona.lavery@ukglobalgroup.co.ukmailto:fiona.lavery@ukglobalgroup.co.ukhttp://www.hccmis.com/citizen-secure-economy-insurance/http://www.aetnainternational.com/ -
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 34
CommercialMailbox
Ifyouaregoingtospendmorethanacoupleyearsoverseas,considerusingacommercial mailboxservice
ratherthanleavingittoyourfamilyorfriends.Inafewyears,ifyouwouldlikeanothercreditcard,wantto
maintainacredithistoryorbuyahouse,forexample,itisusefultohaveapermanenthomecountry
address.
GetaCPAorqualifiedaccountantforyourtaxes
Taxesarenotdifficulttodobutifyouhatedoingthem,makearrangementsbeforeyouleaveforaqualified
accountantto
do
them
for
you.
Also,
over
aperiod
of
time,
taxes
can
become
more
complicated
as
you
losecontactwithallthechangesandasyouincreaseyourinvestments.
Everycountryhasdifferentrequirementsfortheircitizenswhileabroad.Learntherulesandfollowthem
carefullybyhiringaprofessional.Alocalaccountantinyourhomecountrywillbe cheaperthancontacting
aninternationalofficeinaforeigncountrywhenyourunintoaproblem. Takecareofyourtax
responsibilities. Youwillhavetoanswertothemwhenyoureturnandcanevencomebacktobiteyouif
youneverreturntoyourhomecountry. Doitrightfromthestart.
Useyourownbestjudgmenthowtoapproachyourpersonalhealthandfinancialissues. Consulta
professional advisorasneeded.
WeekSixSummary
Startorganizingyourlifeforyourmove.
WeekSixChecklist
Acceptapositionandsignthecontract
Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone
Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance
Findanaccountant
Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress
Useyourownbest
judgmenthowtoapproach
yourpersonalhealthand
financialissues.
Consult
a
professionaladvisoras
needed.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 35
VisasAllowingEmployment
Bythisweek,youshouldhaveresearchedandacceptedapositionandsignedacontract. Noteveryjobwill
comewithacontractbutoftenasignedcontractwillberequiredforyoutogetthecorrectvisayouneed.
Checkoutthejobsituationiftheemployersays,Comeonover.Welltakecareofthepaperworkwhen
yougethere. Keepyoureyesopen. Ifyouarehiredfromoverseas,thepaperworkandvisasareusually
(butnotalways!)doneandthecorrectvisastampedinyourpassportbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry.
Ifyoutraveltoacountrytoscoutforjobs,expecttodoavisaruntogogetthepropervisafromoutside
thecountry. Somejobsmayrequirethatyouarriveonatouristvisaandchangeittoalegalworkingvisa
oncethere.
Inquire
about
the
details
and
ask
another
teacher
at
the
same
school
if
this
worked
out
okay
forthem.
Visaapplicationprocessesandpaperworkcaninvolveanythingfromasimpleletterfromyouremployer
andcopyofthecontracttoasubstantialamountofpaperworkthatyouwillwonderifyoucanever
complete. Ifthevisaprocessseemslengthyordifficult,experiencedemployerswilloftenhaveacontact
personwhocanhelpwalkyouthroughtheprocess.
Getthevisaprocessgoingnow.Itcantakeanywherefromafewdaystoamonthorevenmore.Itdepends
onthe
country,
the
employer
and
if
all
the
paperwork
is
done
properly
the
first
time.
Expect
afew
hitches
intheprocess. Theydohappen. Theyarenotasignofproblemswiththeschool.
GiveNoticetoYourCurrentEmployer
Thisisalwaysthemomentoftruthandoneofthemostexcitingpartsoftheprocessthoughtherewillbe
manymoreexcitingstepsalongtheway. Nowyoufindoutifyouwereplayingandfantasizingorifyouare
reallyreadytogo.
Week Seven
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 36
Budgetingfor
Your
Transition
Overseas
Planforenoughtogetsetup,dealwithanypossibleproblemsandreturntoyourhomecountryifneeded.
Figureouthowmuchthatwillcostyouandsetthatmoneyaside.Itisyoursafetynet.
Peoplesometimesheadoverseaswithonlyacouplehundredbucksintheirpocketandsomehowdojust
fine.Infact,thegreatmajorityofpeoplereallydojustfine. Onlyasmallminorityhaveanyrealtroubleand
eventhenpeoplewhoarewillingtotoughitoutusuallysurvive.
PlanOptimistically
and
Realistically
Youarenotprobablygoingtogetpaiduntilthefirstdayofthemonthafterthefirstcompletemonthyou
work. Planonbuyingbasicfoodsandotherbasicnecessities. Agoodguidewouldbetotakewithyouat
leastwhatyouwillearnthefirstmonthonthejob. Ifyoucan,taketwomonths.
PlanyourReturn
Besuretosetasideassoonaspossiblethefundsyouwouldneedtocompletelysetyourselfupathomein
caseyouwishtoreturn.
SellorStore?
IfyouthinkyouareonlygoingoverseastoteachEnglishforshortperiodoftime,itmaybegoodtokeep
andstoremostofyourpossessions. Considercarefullywhatyoukeepasyou'llbesurprisedhowlittlesome
thingsmeanthatseemedsoimportanttoyoubeforeyouleft.Ifyouarethinkingofspendingalongtime
overseas,selleverythingexceptthoseofsentimentalvalue.
ATipforWhileyouareOverseasandTraveling
Whenyoutravel,ifyouwanttoacquireamementoofyourvisittoaspecialcountryorplace,buyjustone
specialthing. Inthisway,youcanendupwithagoodcollectionofqualityart,fabrics,carpets,andother
veryspecialthingsfrommanycountries. Theywillholdyourmemoriesandlaterfurnishyourhome.
Peoplesometimeshead
overseaswith
only
acouple
hundredbucksintheir
pocketandsomehowdo
justfine.Infact,thegreat
majority
of
people
really
do
justfine.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 37
WeekSevenSummary
Youareontheway.Timetotakecareofsomeessentials.
WeekSevenChecklist
Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready
Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob
Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas
Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep
Ilikethedreamsofthe
futurebetterthanthe
historyofthepast.
PatrickHenry
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 38
Itstime
to
sort
out
your
travel
arrangements
if
you
have
not
done
so
already.
Is
your
new
employer
send
ingyouaticketorgoingtoreimburseyouwhenyouarrive? Arethearrangementsuptoyou? Getallthat
takencareofnow.
WhatKindofPlaneTicketsShouldYouBuy?
Buyanopenoneyearreturnticket. Justincasethingsdontworkout. You'llhavethisticketinyourback
pocketandyouwon'thavetoworryaboutit. Itmaywellhelpyougetoversomeroughspots. Knowing
youcan
leave
often
helps
you
to
decide
to
stay.
OneWay
Probably,mostpeopleheadoverseasonaonewayticket. Manythinktheywillwanttogo travelingand
notheadrighthomeaftertheirfirstyearoverseas. Theythinkthattheywillwanttocontinueworking
overseasafterthat. Theyareprobablycorrect.
Employer'sTickets
Someemployers
will
provide
your
ticket
or
reimburse
you
for
your
tickets
either
on
arrival
or
after
acertain
periodoftimeorattheendofyourcontract. Waittobuyituntilyouknowwhattheywilldo. Sometimes,
thisisallaverylastminutesituation.
Week Eight
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 39
WhatKindofExpensesareInvolvedinMoving?
Berealisticaboutwhatyouneedtotakewithyouandyouractualmovingexpensesshouldnotbemuch
morethanjustyourplaneticket. Dontforgetthecostsofsettingupyournewhome.
Knowthatoverweightbaggagefeesareveryexpensiveandcaneasilyexceedhundredsof dollarsevenfor
justonebag! Doublecheckyourweightallowanceandinvestinasmallscaleandweighyourbagsbefore
headingtotheairport. Beparticularlycarefulofthingslikebooksastheyareveryheavy. Thisisallpartof
good
planningseveral
weeks
before
you
leave.
SetupyourBanking
Keepitsimple.Don'tgochasingafter"offshore"accountsandotherfancybankingschemesthatwillcost
youasmallfortuneinfeesandthatareonlyinterestedinyouifyouhaveseveralhundredthousandor
evena milliondollars,ataminimum.
StartPractical
Getabankaccountwithfree"BillPay"servicethatistotallyaccessibleviatheInternet. Evenyourlocal
creditunioncandothisnowadays. Findabankorcreditunionthatalsooffersotherfinancialservicessuch
aslifeinsurance,billpaymentsvia"EFT",and/orinvestmentaccounts.
SetupyourAccounts
Arrangetheseaccountsbeforeyouleaveyourhomecountry. Somearequitedifficulttosetupfrom
overseas. Oncetheyaresetup,itiseasytoattendtoyourfinancialaffairs,evenfinancialplanning,
fromanywhere
in
the
world
via
the
Internet.
InternationalATMCard
MakesureyougetaninternationalATMcardtogowithyouraccount. Itshouldbelongtooneofthe
internationalsystemssuchasCirrusorMaestro. Traveler'sChecksareoldfashionedthesedays,some
placeswontevenknowwhattodowiththem. GoodinternationalATMcardsworkalmosteverywhere.
...overweight
baggage
fees
areveryexpensiveandcan
easilyexceedhundredsof
dollarsevenforjustone
bag!
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 40
IntegratedBanking
WithyourbankaccountonlineandarelatedATMcard,youwillfindyourfinancesgreatly simplified. If
youwiremoneyhometoyouraccount,youmaywithdrawitasneededviayourATMcard,payyourbills
withtheBillPayserviceandevenmovemoneyinandoutofyour brokerageaccount. Allofthiscanbe
interconnected withyourPayPalaccountifyoudon'tliketouseyourcreditcardsontheInternet.
Security
Manypeoplefearidentitytheftorothersecurityissueswhenmanagingtheirfinancesonline. Ideally,you
shoulduse
your
home
computer.
If
you
use
an
Internet
cafe,
be
sure
you
carefully
close
all
windows
and
signoutofeachaccount. Openthemagainbeforeyouleavetomakesurethatyoudid. Theyshouldopen
totheloginpagenotdirectlytoyouraccount.
ShouldYouSetupaBrokerageAccount?
Ifyouthinkyoumightwanttoinvestinstocks,mutualfundsand/orbonds,checkintoabrokerageaccount
andseeifitsuitsyourneeds. LookontheInternetforagoodcompany. Almosteverythingcanbedone
onlineonce
you
have
the
account
set
up.
It
is
usually
much
easier
to
do
it
before
you
go.
Onceoverseas,itisusuallydifficulttoopenabrokerageaccount. Manyfinancialregulationsarebasedon
whereyouliveandwherethebrokeragecompanyisbased. WhileyoumightnotconsiderJapanorKorea
orSaudiArabiatobeyourrealhome,brokeragehousesmay.
Online
Get
it
done
before
you
go
and
sort
out
any
and
all
the
problems
of
using
the
account
online.
Most
broker
ages(andbanksandcreditcardcompanies)have"paperless"transactionsandstatements. Thisiswhere
yourstatementsaresenttoyouviaemailoryoucandownloadthemfromtheInternet. Itavoidsthe
problemofhavingtodecidewhatshouldbemailedtoyouandwhatisn'treallyneeded.
Arrangeyourbrokerageaccounttobeinterconnectedwithyourbank. Mostbrokerageaccountsandmost
bankswillallowyoutosetupbackandforthmovementofyourfunds. Thenyoucandoitallonline.
Ifyou
use
an
Internet
cafe,
besureyoucarefullyclose
allwindowsandsignoutof
eachaccount.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 41
WeekEight
Summary
Takecareofyourplaneticketsifyouhavenotdonesoalready. Becarefulofyourweight.
Arrangeforyourbankingandinvestmentaccounts.
WeekEightChecklist
Arrangeyour
plane
tickets
Weighyourbaggage
SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet
SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand
interconnectedwithyourbankaccount
Wearewhatwerepeatedly
do.Excellence,therefore,
isnotanactbutahabit.
Aristotle
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 42
PassportandVisa
Everyweekgetseasiernowasyounearyourdeparturedate.
Aboutnowyoushouldhaveyourpassportreturnedfromtheembassyofthecountrywhereyouaregoing
withanewvisastampedinitthatwillallowyoutogotothatcountryandbeginorpursueemployment.
Everycountryisdifferentandhowthisworkscanworkin50differentways.Askyournewemployer. Most
likely,youwillalsohavetodoafairamountofpaperworkonceyouarriveatyourdestinationtocomplete
theprocessofworkingtherelegally.
Overseas
Onceinthecountryinwhichyouwillbeworking,you'lltypicallyneedtogosomewhere(immigration,
MinistryofLabororboth)togetyourworkpermitsortedout. Usually,yourresidencevisaisonlyfora
shorttimewhenyoufirstenterthecountry. Itwillthenbeextendedtotheperiodoftimeforyourwork
permit.
Thiscanbeconfusingwhenyourworkpermitcanonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourvisabutyour
visawillonlybeissuedfortheperiodoftimeofyourworkpermit.Butdoesthechickencomebeforethe
egg?
Thereisnoneedtoworry.Somehowitallgetsdone. Leanonyouremployer. Itwon'tusuallybethefirst
timetheyhavegonethroughit.
PlansBandPlanC
Beforeyougo,createaPlanA,PlanBandPlanC.
Week Nine
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 43
Westernerstendtothinkofthingslikecontractsasbeingwritteninstonebutinmanycountries,contracts
canbequiteflexible. Thiscanmeanthatyouremployermaynotdothethingstheysaidtheywoulddo.
Youmaynotlikethat. Youmaywellfindatimewhenitmaybebestmoveon.
PlanBandPlanC
Whenyoudoyourresearchaboutcountriesandjobs,keepasecondandthirdchoiceinyourmind,justin
casethingsdon'tworkoutforPlanA. Keeptheseinthebackofyourmind,keepyourresumeuptodate,
andfishtoseewhatisouttherefromtimetotime. WithadecentPlanBandPlanC,youwon'thaveto
worryaboutasurprise.
Thereisalsothepossibilitythatyoujustwon'tlikethejobyoutook,thecountryyoumovedtoorsome
otherunforeseenproblemmaysouryouonthewholedeal.
YourFirst
Country
Your
First
Job
Keepopenthepossibilityofgoingbackhome. Don'tburnyourbridgestoanywhere. Youjustneverknow
whenyoumightneedtoheadbackwhereyouwerelastyear.Trytokeepyouroptionsopen.Leaveevery
employerongoodtermswiththemreadyforandinterestedinyourreturn. Maintainandnetworkwith
peoplefrompreviousemployment.Itallworksbothways;youmightneedtohelpafriendcometowhere
youaresomeday.
Youmay
never
need
them
(Plans
B
and
C)
,but
It
is
best
to
be
cautious.
The
TEFL
world
is
just
alittle
less
stablethanothertypesofemployment. MostpeopleneverneededtheirPlanBorC,buttheyarethere,
justincaseyouneedthem.
Ifyoudonothope,youwill
notfindwhatisbeyond
yourhopes.
St.ClementofAlexandra
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 44
WeekNineSummary
Youshould
have
your
passport
back
from
the
embassy
or
consulate
that
issues
your
visa.
HavingaPlanBandCisagoodidea.
WeekNineChecklist
Receiveyourpassportwithanappropriatevisainit
DevelopaPlanB
DevelopaPlanC
Weareallinventors,each
sailingout
on
avoyage
of
discovery,guidedeachbya
privatechart,ofwhich
thereisnoduplicate.
The
world
is
all
gates,
allopportunities.
RalphWaldoEmerson
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 45
Herewego! Thisweekistheeasiestofall.
Timetodosomefinetuningwithyourbaggagebeforeyouheadofftotheairport. Thisisweektenbutyou
probablyshould
think
about
this
several
weeks
before
now
as
well.
WhatShouldYouTakewithYou?
Takeonlywhatyoumust. Movinglotsofheavybagsaroundtheworldisnofunatall. Especially,asit
seemsyoumayarriveonveryhotandsteamydaysorinthemiddleofasnowstorm,neitherofwhichisa
lotoffunforcarryingalotofluggage.
Medicine
Generallyspeaking,manymedicinesaremuchcheaperoverseassodon'tbothertobringalotifyoucanget
itthere. Unlessthemedicineyouwantisunusualorverynew,itwillmostlikelybeavailablewhereyou
aregoing.Askonthediscussionboardsbutdonttrusttheanswers100%ifthemedicineiscriticaltoyour
health.
Anythingthatiscriticalformaintainingyourhealthbesuretotakeitwithyouontheplane.
Other
BringonlythebasicsinclothingYou'llfindyoucangetbywithfarlessthanyouareusedto. Bringafew
specialphotosoffamilyandfriendssoyournewplacecanfeellikeayourhome.
TeachingMaterials
Bringoneortworeferencebooks. Booksareheavyandbulkybuttheyareoftenquiteexpensiveoverseas
andsometimeshardtofind. ButwiththeInternet,youdon'tneedthemquiteasmuch. Youcanlookup
almosteverythingonline. EventhemostremotesmalltownsnowadayshaveInternetaccess.
Week Ten
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 46
ToBringaComputerorNot?
Lotsofpeopleusemovingasanexcusetopickupanicenotebookcomputer. Really,itisjustsomethingto
worryabouthavingstolen. Acheapdesktopwhereyouaremovingwillusuallycostyouabouthalfwhat
yournotebookwillcost. Pricescanvaryalotsoaskonthediscussionboards. Beawarethatinmany
places,piratedsoftware(notadvocatingthis)isloadedontothesedesktopsforfreeorverycheaply.
Getalargeflashdriveorportableharddriveandloadallyouressentialfilesonitandbringthatinstead.
It'sawholelotlesstroubleanditisonelessheavythingtocarryandworryabout.
WhatShould
You
Mail
to
Your
New
Home?
Ifyoureallyneedit,putitinyoursuitcase. Ifitiscritical,carryitonboardwithyou.
Thingsmaygetlostifyoumailthem.Inmanycountries,mailserviceisnotreliable.
SayGoodbye
Itistimetosaygoodbyetofriendsandfamily. Saygoodbyetothosethatyoumaynotseeagainforquite
sometime.
Spendtimetogooutandvisitsomeofyourfavoriteplacesbeforeyouleave.Haveagreattime.Tellfamily
membersthatyoulovethemandsaythethingsyouhavewantedtosaybuthaventsaid.
WeekTenSummary
Plancarefullywhattotakewithyou. Saygoodbyetofamilyandfriendsandgooutandhaveagoodtime.
WeekTen
Checklist
Decidewhattotakewithyou
Whattomailtoyourself
SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones
Getonthatplaneandgo
Spendtimetogooutand
visitsomeofyourfavorite
placesbeforeyouleave.
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 47
Youmightjustbeabletousealittleguidancetohelpyougetthroughthefirstcoupleofweeks overseas.
Onthe
Job
Overseas
Whatshouldyouweartoyournewjob?
Alwaysassumeashirtandtieandtrousersformenandsomethingequivalentforwomen. Askyourem
ployertobesurebuteveninveryhotweather,moreconservativeculturestendtodressupabit. Dressing
downisnotusuallyappropriate. Youwillbeseverelyjudgedbyhowyoudress. Groomingandappearance
areveryimportantinmanycultures. Makeagoodfirst Impression. Itwillmakeadifference. Thereisalot
oflocal
variation
with
this,
so
do
ask
your
employer.
Shouldyoubuyacarormotorcycle?
Avehicleofsomesortgreatlyenhancesyourabilitytogetoutandseeyournewcountry. Ifyoudon't
alreadyknowhowtodriveamotorcycle,overseasmaynotbethebestplacetolearn. Rulesoftheroadin
many countriescanatbestbetermedflexible. However,manycountrieshavegreatpublictransportation
systemsandyousometimeswon'tneedyourownvehicle.
How
will
you
know
if
it
is
safe
where
you
live?
Askyouremployerandcoworkers. Ifitisnot,asktobemoved. Livingoverseasisgreatfunandareal
challenge,butgettingmuggedorkilledshouldn'tbepartofthepackage. Itisimportanttoask;don't
assumeyouknow. Culturalandvisual/behavioralcuesaboutcrimecandifferfromyourownunderstand
ing. It'sgoodtobesure!
Week OneOverseas
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 48
Howcanyoureduceyourstartupexpenses?
Don'ttrytobuyeverythingatonceanddon'ttrytosolveeveryproblembythrowingmoneyatit.
Bepatient. Yourneedsmaybeverydifferentinyournewsituationfromwhattheywereinyourhome
country. Takeyourtimewithspendinguntilyoureallyknowwhatisgoingon.
TheCultureGame
Insomecultures,afterworksocializationisveryimportant. Becauseofthegreatculturaldivide,itcanbe
quiteuseful
to
socialize
with
your
coworkers,
on
their
terms
and
in
their
ways,
to
help
them
get
to
know
you. Makeaneffortifyouareaskedtogooutforkaraokeandactuallysingifasked. Bytheway,nobody
caresifyousingwell,it'sonlythatyoumaketheeffort.Youneverknow;youmaycometoloveit!
SocializingwithCoworkers
Doitjusttobepolitebutalsobeopentofindingsomenewfriends.Becareful,however,of gettingdrunk
orbecomingtoofamiliaruntilyouknowyourcoworkersandtheculturebetter. Youdon'twanttostartoff
onthewrongfoot.
CultureShock
You'llprobablygetitbutsometimesshockisabitofanoverstatement.
Youcanexpecttofeeleuphoric(Ifinallymadeit),
Angry(whycan'tImakethingsworklikebackhome?),
Depressedanddisappointed(everythingisn'texactlylikeIexpectedittobe),and
Isolated(Idon'treallyknowanyonehere).
Allofthisisnormal. Afterallthisisaverybigtimeinyourlifeandofcourseyouwillhavesomestrongfeel
ingsaboutit.Theseemotionalreactionsareallnaturalresponsestothesituationyouwillfindyourselfin
overseas. Howtodealwithit? Getbusy! Personalprojects,work,travel,makingfriendsandevenvolun
teeringwillhelpyouadjust. Alsotakealittletimeandjustrecognizethefeelingsforwhattheyare.
Makeaneffortifyouare
askedtogooutforkaraoke
andactuallysingifasked.
Bytheway,nobodycaresif
yousing
well,
it's
only
that
youmaketheeffort.
Youneverknow;youmay
cometoloveit!
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 49
OneofthebestarticlesaboutdealingwithCultureShockis atAbout.comCultureShock:byAbout.com
Don'tforgetthatyoucanhaveproblemswithyourjob,boss,landlord,andfriendsinyourhomecountry
too. Don'tblameitallonyourhostcountry!
Knowthatonceyouhavelivedinseveralcountries,theeffectsofcultureshockdiminishasyoulearnto
havemorerealisticexpectationsandasyoujustnaturallylearnhowtodealwithit.
SurvivingUncertainty
Part
of
the
issue
with
culture
shock
is
also
the
uncertainty
of
your
new
situation
and
of
how
things
are
goingtodevelop. Followthesamecourseoftreatmentasforcultureshock. Getinvolved.
DealingwithCulturalDifferences
Yournewcountryisn'tyouroldcountry. Howpeoplebehaveandrespondcanbequitedifferent.
Many(maybemost)culturesarenotasdirectasourown. You'llneedtopayattentionandlistenfor
underlyingcontentallthetime. Youcanmakeyourcoworkersandsupervisorvery uncomfortableifyou
makethem
confront
you
or
if
you
become
confrontational.
It
can
really
stress
your
relationships
and
sour
yourworksituation. Becareful,listen,interpret.
Avoidmisunderstandingswhenmiscommunicationseemstohaveoccurredbyaskingyoursupervisorabout
itinthecontextofaculturequestion. Youcansay,"Iamabitconfusedhere. Doyouwantmeto___?
Pleasehelpmeunderstand." Thiskindofastatementtakestheheatoffthesituationandsaves"face"for
everyoneinvolved. Youcanevenhaveagoodlaughaboutitinsteadofeveryonebeingupset.
Developalittlefinesseindealingwithcrossculturalcommunicationsandyourlifewillgomuchsmoother
overseas. It'sallpartoflearningtobeaskilledexpatriate.
WeekOneOverseasSummary
Dresswellforyourjob. ItisfarmoreimportantthaninWesterncultures.Payattentionto cultural
differencesastheycanmakethedifferencebetweensuccessorfailure.
Developalittle
finesse
in
dealingwithcrosscultural
communicationsandyour
lifewillgomuchsmoother
overseas.
http://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htmhttp://moving.about.com/od/internationalmoves/a/culture_shock.htm -
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 50
Itmightbetimetostartthinkingabitaboutspendingayearortwoormoreoverseasandhowthatmight
workfor
you.
Networking
Thinknetworkinginyourhomecountryandoverseasandthinkaboutcontinuingorimprovingyour
credentials.Networkingisevenmoreimportantoverseas. Attimes,youcanlineupgoodjobsviafriends
withashortinterview. Contactsandnetworkingworkforyouevenbetter overseasthanbackhome.
Keepintouchwithpeopleyouworkwith. Theywillmoveontoother,oftenbetter,jobs,andsowillyou.
Younever
know
when
your
paths
may
meet
again
or
when
you
might
be
able
to
help
each
other.
InYourHomeCountry
Don'tforgettokeepintouchwithyourcontactsandfriendsbackhome. Youneverknowwhenyoumight
wanttoheadback. Invitethemtovisityou,beagreathostandshowthemagreattime. Itcouldwellpay
dividendsifyouweretoneedajobbackhomeonshortnotice. Itwillalsogivethemagreatexperience.
Letyourfriendsseehowwonderfulalifeabroadcanbe.
Visityour
Friends,
Bosses
and
Coworkers
Whenyouvisityourhomecountry,makesureyouvisityouroldcoworkers,bossesandfriends. Nothingis
worsethancomingbackcoldhavinglostallyouroldcontacts. Doyourbesttokeepitpersonalwithagood
listofpersonalcontacts.
Week TwoOverseas
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 51
ImproveYourself
ImproveyourCredentials
Whileyouareoverseas,takeanothertrainingcourseorgetanotherdegree. Somejobsoverseasareonly
fourdaysaweekandyoumaygetlongvacationsifyouarelucky. Usethattimetoimproveyour
credentialssoyoucancontinuetomoveuptheladderandimproveyourwages,benefitsandfreetime.
Almostanyprogramintheworldcanbetakenonlinethesedays.
Just
Have
a
GREAT
Time!
Dontneedtoexplainthat.
Nothingwilleverbe
attemptedifallpossible
objectionsmustfirstbe
overcome.
SamuelJohnson
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 52
WeeklyChecklists
WeekOneChecklist
Checkoutthepossibilities
Passport:Order,Update,Check
Degree:Original,Orderaspare
Transcripts:Order
OtherDocuments:TrainingCertificates
Scaneverythingyouhave
Week
Two
Checklist
Decideonaspecificcountrytofocusyoursearch
Includefinancialwantsandresponsibilitiesinyourdecision
Decidewhentogo
AppendixOne
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 53
Week
Three
Checklist
Prepareresume/CV
Getaprofessionalphotoforresumesandapplications
Providepropercontactinformation
Prepareacoverletter
Doublecheck
your
scanned
documents
WeekFourChecklist
Beginapplyingforjobs
Prepareforaninterviewandsmileduringthatinterview
Contactarecruiter
Dontacceptajobimmediately
WeekFiveChecklist
Startinterviews
Asktheimportantquestionsaboutyourjob
Askquestionsaboutthereputationofyouremployer
Askquestionsaboutyourproposedhousing
Knowingisnotenough;
wemustapply.
Willingisnotenough;
wemustdo.
JohannWolfgang
vonGoethe
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 54
WeekSixChecklist
Acceptaposition
Signacontract
Makeadecisionaboutyourhouseifyouownone
Makeadecisionabouthealthinsurance
Findanaccountant
Considerapermanenthomecountrypostaladdress
WeekSevenChecklist
Startyourvisaprocessifyouhavenotdonesoalready
Givenoticeatyourcurrentjob
Makeabudgetforyourtransitionoverseas
Decidewhattosellandwhattokeep
WeekEightChecklist
Arrange
plane
tickets
Weighyourbaggage
SetupabankaccountaccessibleviatheInternet
SetupaninvestmentaccountaccessibleviatheInternetand
interconnectedwithyourbankaccount
Greatspiritshavealways
encounteredviolent
oppositionfrom
mediocreminds.
AlbertEinstein
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 55
WeekNineChecklist
Receiveyour
passport
with
an
appropriate
visa
in
it
DevelopaPlanB
DevelopaPlanC
WeekTenChecklist
Decidewhattotakewithyou
Decidewhattomailtoyourself
SayIloveyoutofamilyandlovedones
Getontheplane
Wearestillmastersofour
fate.Wearestillcaptainsof
oursouls.
WinstonChurchill
-
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HowtoTeachEnglishOverseas 56
BasicTEFLMethodsandBoardwork
Itisgoodtoknowthebasicsandheretheyare.
TEFLMethodologytaughtinmostTEFLtrainingprogramsisgenerallyeither"PPP"or"ESA"
"PPP"meansPresentation,PracticeandProduction. MostEFLlessonsarebrokenintothosethreeparts.
Presentationisthepartofthelessonwhenthetargetlanguage(thelanguagetobetaughttothestudents)
ispresentedtothestudentsgenerallythroughelicitingandcueingofthestudentstoseeiftheyknowitand
thenprovidingthelanguageifnoonedoes.
Thetargetlanguageisusuallyputontheboardeitherinstructure(grammartype)chartsorindialogs.
Presentationfeatures
more
"teacher
talk"
than
the
other
stages
of
the
lesson,
generally
as
much
as
65
90%
ofthetime. Thisportionofthetotallessoncantakeasmuchas2040%ofthelessontime.
NextcomesthePracticesectionwhenthestudentspracticethetargetlanguageinonetothreeactivities
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